Chennai Egmore to Tiruchirapalli 336 kms 2nd broad gauge line launched
Relief for South bound train travellers
Travel Time likely to come down further by 45-60 minutes
After clearance from the officials, express trains were allowed to run on day one at a speed of 30 kmph between Valadi and Ponmalai. This speed restriction is expected to be released soon and trains can now run at a speed of 90 kmph between Chennai and Tiruchirappalli, with any 'crossing' problems.
The launch of the 2nd broad gauge line is expected to reduce the travel time between Chennai and Tiruchirapalli by at least 45 minutes to an hour.
Earlier this month, the officials had checked the one other pending work between Vriddachalam and Mathur stations and this too has been cleared for speed and safety.
Rockfort Express to reach Srirangam at 330am
Rockfort Express which leaves Chennai Egmore at 10.30 pm every night was scheduled to reach Srirangam at 4.15 am till last year. This had been brought forward, earlier this year, by around 15 minutes. Come June/July, Rockfort Express is scheduled to arrive at Srirangam at 3.28 am i.e a travel time just short of 5 hours.
Most other trains between Egmore and Tiruchirapalli are likely to cover the distance in less than five hours. This will also have a positive effect on the travel time on South bound trains such Pandyan, Pothigai, Kanniyakumari and Nellai Express to Madurai and Tirunelveli respectively. Most of these trains stop at just one station between Vriddachalam and Dindigul i.e at Tiruchirapalli. These can now cover the distance of 215 kms in 3 hours as against the current schedule that ranges from 3 ½ to over 4 hours.
Soon one can expect Pandyan Express to reach Madurai by 5.30 am (6.10 am) and Nellai Express to reach Tirunelveli by 6.30 am (7.20 am).